


Over You

by KATastrofic222



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Aged up characters, Drinking, Human!Kiibo, M/M, Mutual Pining, No underage drinking, Non-Ultimates, Pining, apparently, coffee shop AU, past relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-02-07 18:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21462559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KATastrofic222/pseuds/KATastrofic222
Summary: Kiibo pressed a finger against Ouma’s lips, effectively preventing the latter from closing the distance between them.“I refuse to be your rebound, Ouma-kun.”
Relationships: K1-B0/Oma Kokichi, Kiibo/Ouma Kokichi
Comments: 24
Kudos: 108





	1. In the Haze of Liquor and Cigarettes, I See You

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a work for one of my fic title requests, but it got longer and more complicated than intended, so I decided to fill the prompt with something different, and have this idea become its own work :>
> 
> This fic idea was greatly inspired Goldhouse's song entitled "Everything We Used to Do." I recommend you to give it a listen even if it's just one time.
> 
> I tried to implement the emotion conveyed in the song into this work. I hope I did well!

When Kiibo decided to join his colleagues to go out drinking for a celebration, he didn’t expect to find the last person he’d see in a bar to be currently passed out at the bartender’s station. Now, he wasn’t much of a drinker. And he was sure that he didn’t drink all that much, just enough to melt his initial tension, but not enough to mess with his perception. He saw the bartender’s look of pity over the unconscious man, which pretty much jerked him into action.

“Sorry, please excuse me for a moment.”

“Huh? Where are you going, Kiibo?”

Kiibo eyed the unconscious figure before returning his gaze to his colleagues, “I just saw someone I recognize. I need to go, he doesn’t look too good. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“Hey, wait–!”

Kiibo shrugged his coat back on and sped walked towards the direction of the raven-haired man. “Geez, just how much did you drink, Ouma-kun?” he uttered under his breath as he rubbed the raven-haired man’s back soothingly.

“Excuse me, but are you two acquaintances?”

His head perked up to meet the bartender’s eyes. “Yes.”

The bartender, Shirogane, fixed her glasses before continuing. “Will you be paying for him? I don’t think he’s in any condition to pay at all.”

Kiibo glanced at the sleeping man once more before pulling out his wallet, “Alright. May I have the bill?”

“Give me a moment.”

Kiibo palmed his face upon seeing the bill before paying it. Fortunately tonight was Souda’s treat in celebration of his promotion, so he had enough money on him to pay for the results of Ouma’s drinking spree. As soon as the transaction was over, he gently extracted the raven-haired man from his perch on the counter.

“Let’s get you home.”

A thought occurred to him as soon as he seated himself behind the wheel. He didn’t know where Ouma lived. Well, he knew where he _ used to _ live, but he wasn’t sure if Ouma still lived in the same neighborhood. It’s been years since they last saw each other, after all. He didn’t want to bother anyone so late at night just to ask too, which meant that his best bet was to ask Ouma himself. Even though it was against his better judgment, Kiibo reached out to give Ouma’s shoulder a gentle shake.

“Ouma-kun. Sorry to wake you up, but I need your address. Please wake up.”

“Nngh…” Ouma shifted in his seat a little, before lazily opening his eyes. He narrowed his glazed eyes at his companion, unsure of who he was looking at. “You takin’ me home?” he slurred the question, still under the influence.

“Yeah,” the albino leaned against his seat. “But I don’t know where your address is. Can you tell me where?“

Ouma giggled, “You’re so silly. You could have just taken my ID,” he rummaged through his pockets and tossed his wallet at the other man.

Kiibo hoped that Ouma was simply acting carelessly because of his inebriated state. It didn’t even seem like Ouma recognized him. He shook his head before pulling out the other man’s identification. By the time he finished, he noticed that the other man went back to sleep. “Seriously…” he tucked the wallet inside his companion’s coat pocket and started the engine.

————————————-

_ ‘I guess this is goodbye then, Kokichi-kun…’ _

No… Please come back… I didn’t mean what I said…

Please…

—————————————

“Urgh…” Ouma grunted as he felt the sun burning against his closed eyelids. His eyes snapped wide open upon realizing that he was lying in the familiar softness of his bed and not in some garbage dump. “How did I…?” He powered through his headache in favor of getting up to check if anything was amiss. If there were any discarded clothes that weren’t his, for one. He let out a relieved sigh when he found none.

He did, however, find a glass of water and a bottle of his aspirin waiting for him atop his bedside drawer. It only brought up more questions, but that could wait. Thinking doesn’t really go well with hangovers.

He tipped his head back as he flushed the aspirin down his throat with water, thankful for whoever it was that left it out for him. He took this time to take a shower and brush his teeth to get rid of his horrible post-drinking spree breath, trying to put two and two together in his head.

Ouma clicked his tongue in displeasure. ‘_ I vaguely remember talking to someone…but I don’t really remember any important details like their face. But more importantly...how did I get home?' _

He let out a sigh. “I just have to ask Shirogane-chan instead then.” With his plan already set, he proceeded to eat breakfast in the form of toast and coffee.

————————————–

_ “No… Please come back… I didn’t mean what I said…” _

_ “Please…” _

————————————– 

_ ‘I wonder if…he’s doing okay,’ _ Kiibo pursed his lips. _ ‘I’ve…never seen Ouma-kun that vulnerable before…’ _

He didn’t expect to hear Ouma sound so desperate and broken while he tucked the latter in bed during that night. A week had already passed, but the raven-haired man’s trembling voice and pained face kept invading his mind from time to time.

“Hey, still using the copier?” Souda’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Ah, no. I already finished. Sorry.” Kiibo stepped aside, hurriedly collecting the paperwork he had photocopied.

“Seriously, what’s gotten into you lately?” Souda shook his head. “You’ve been spacing out a lot ever since you left the bar–-_hold on a sec_._”_

The albino raised a brow, “What?”

The older male slowly turned his back to the copier and narrowed his eyes at him, “Don’t tell me you left us just to get some action! What was it? A one night stand? No strings attached but couldn’t forget the moment?”

Kiibo smacked his friend with a small stack of documents, “That’s enough of your fantasies, Kazuichi-kun.”

“Ow,” Souda rubbed his pained cheek. “If it’s not that, then what’s gotten into you? You’re worrying us, man.”

Kiibo’s face softened, “Sorry. I actually saw my ex passed out by the counter, so I drove him back to his home. And before you make another unsavory remark, no, nothing happened between us that night. He looked like a mess, so I was just worried that he might get in trouble is all.”

Hot pink eyes stared at him blankly.

“What?” Kiibo stared at him in disbelief.

“You had an ex?”

“Yes?”

“You _ dated _someone before?”

“How else would you explain me having an ex?”

“And on top of all that…it’s a _ dude?” _

“That’s pretty much everything I just told you, yes,” Kiibo raked a hand through his hair.

“HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD US THAT YOU DATED GUYS BEFORE!?” Souda slammed his hands on the desk. “AREN’T WE PALS? _BROS?”_

“Okay, for your information, he was the only person I ever dated in my entire life. Drop the plurality,” Kiibo huffed. “Second of all, it just never came up in our conversation, so I never bothered mentioning it. Why are you so worked up about this anyway?”

“Dude, even if it’s a guy, that still means that you have more dating experience than a good chunk of the people in our department do! PLUS! AREN’T YOU POPULAR WITH THE LADY CLIENTS? Man, they’re going to be so heartbroken if they find out!”

“I’m just here to work, not to find a romantic partner,“ Kiibo rolled his eyes. “Also, we shouldn’t be gossiping at work. See you later.”

“Oi Kiibo, wait!”


	2. Warmth and a Little Bit of Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The sound of bossa nova...your familiar voice and that look in your eyes...Why can't I forget it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this chapter for months, and I finally managed to finish a coherent chapter. Big thanks to my friend cookielessshadow@tumblr for giving me helpful comments while I was editing this work. You have no idea how much that eased my mind! Anyway, this work was meant to end on the second chapter, but due to unexpected development, it became difficult to fit everything I wanted to write in a single chapter. So this chapter may or may not end on the 3rd chapter. I guess we'll find out next time ^^;
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the first!
> 
> Edit: I drew some visuals for this fic. You can see it [here!](https://katastroficwriter.tumblr.com/post/616915939823403008/some-visuals-for-my-kiibouma-fic-called-over-you)

The sound of tinkling bells alerted Shirogane of the entry of a customer. “Sorry, the bar’s not open yet. We’ll be ready in about 2 hours.”

“It’s just me, Shirogane-chan.”

Her head poked out of the counter, narrowing her gaze at the new arrival. “Ouma-kun? Honestly, your day off would be a waste if you spend most of it here.”

“Nah, I’m not drinking tonight. I just have some questions for you and I’ll be off,” Ouma sat himself on one of the bar stools posted by the counter. “I won’t take too much of your time.”

“Is that so?” the bespectacled woman grabbed a martini glass and began wiping it clean with ease. “Ask away, then.”

“It’s about last night.”

“Mhm?”

“I went here and got wasted right?”

“Mhm.”

“I don’t remember how, but I’m pretty sure I blacked out afterwards.”

“Mmhm!”

“And the next thing I know, I woke up in my own bed,” Ouma leaned over the counter. “I want to know how I got home. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t your doing, since you usually sleep in the back whenever you’re on the night shift, not to mention my house is too far from here.”

“That’s right.” Shirogane calmly placed the glass down. “It was actually one of the customers. You were passed out on the counter and he looked pretty concerned about you. I figured he was an acquaintance of yours, since he knew your name.”

Ouma lifted a brow at that. “Can you tell me what he looked like?”

“Hmm…” Shirogane reached for another glass and began wiping it as she thought. “He had snowy white hair, bangs swept to the left. He had a cowlick sticking out of his head, and his eyes were soft aquamarines.”

Ouma would have teased her for her quirk as an aspiring novelist if only he didn’t feel his blood run cold after hearing her words.

The bespectacled woman tilted her head to the side. “Ouma-kun? Are you okay?”

“...I’m sorry, mind running that by me again?” Ouma pinched the bridge of his nose. “What did the guy _ look like?” _

“Snow white hair with a bit of a cowlick and aquamarine eyes?” Shirogane fixed her glasses. “Why?”

“Ughhhhhhhhhhh! Shirogane-chaaaaan!!!” the raven-haired man banged his head against the counter. “How could you do this to meeeeeeee?!”

“I don’t understand. Was there something wrong with that man?” she placed the glass down, confused by her co-worker’s reaction. “He didn’t seem unhinged to me.”

“That’s not it at all!” Ouma lifted his head before burying his face in his hands. ** _“THAT MAN WAS MY EX!”_ **

Due to the presence of only a few customers, the raven-haired man’s words had resounded within the four corners that made up the coffee shop-slash-bar. Noticing the bewildered looks of her customers, the bespectacled barista hurriedly bowed apologetically in their general direction before ushering the despairing raven-haired man to a corner.

“...Oh dear,” she sighed.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Present

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“Thanks for helping me carry my files, Kiibo-kun,” Fujisaki slightly bowed.

“You’re welcome. If there’s more, feel free to ask for help,” Kiibo smiled as he set the stack of documents on the brunet’s desk.

“...Oh! Are you going to get off work soon by the way?” Fujisaki clapped his hands together.

Kiibo blinked in surprise. “I am, why?”

“You see, I recently discovered from a friend that there was this coffee shop not too far from here. I was planning to drop by there and check it out,” Fujisaki’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Want to come with? It would be my treat!”

To be honest, he really didn’t feel like loitering after work. His day had been an exhausting one and he just wanted to catch some sleep at home as soon as possible. On top of his usual obligations, Souda had taken to asking him about his ex-boyfriend for the most part; all in the name of ‘academic curiosity,’ as he would put it. He’s not a bad guy, but he tended to be nosy. _ Too _nosy.

But looking at how genuinely excited his colleague was at the idea of hanging out outside of work hours, Kiibo couldn’t find it in him to reject the invitation.

“Sure.”

Fujisaki beamed at him. “T-then! I’ll go finish up here first and I’ll catch up with you at the first floor lobby.”

“It’s fine, I’ll wait here. I can do a bit of work while waiting for you in the meantime,” Kiibo returned the smile.

He sagged against his seat as soon as he got back to his own work desk, pinching the bridge of his nose as he heaved out a deep sigh. Other than work and his nosy senior, he still couldn’t shake the image of the vulnerable and torn Ouma out of his mind. They were exes, but he never hated the raven-haired man. It was a mutual agreement to end their relationship a few years ago after all.

“I wonder if _ I’m _ the nosy one for worrying…” he sighed as he corrected his sitting posture. _ ‘Besides...it seems like he had already fallen deeper in love with someone else, no matter how tragic it may have ended up.’ _

He shook his head. “It’s none of my business. I have work to do.” He booted up his laptop and started typing away.

He didn’t spend too long on his laptop. Half an hour had passed when Fujisaki gave him a light tap on the shoulder to let him know that they were free to leave work. Maybe hanging out with Fujisaki was the right choice. He needed a more relaxing distraction from his thoughts. They left the building together, making idle conversation as they crossed the street.

“I think we have about an hour left before the coffee shop closes,” Fujisaki rubbed his chin in thought. “The coffee shop has become one of Kiyotaka-kun’s favorite haunts and I wanted to try it out for myself.”

“It must be really good then if it had Ishimaru-kun’s stamp of approval,” Kiibo chuckled. _ ‘But still...why does this route seem familiar?’ _ He took a glance around the area and vaguely recognized some of the signs in display.

“We’re here,” Fujisaki’s voice snapped the albino out of his trance.

“...Huh?”

“Is there something wrong, Kiibo-kun? Are you feeling unwell?” the brunet’s brows knitted together in worry.

“Ah, no it’s nothing like that. I was beginning to wonder why this place seemed familiar,” Kiibo rubbed his nape. “You weren’t there at the time, but this was where Kazuichi-kun celebrated his promotion a couple of weeks back. It was dark back then, so I didn’t realize that this place doubled as a coffee shop.”

“I see! I didn’t know that this was a bar either,” Fujisaki glanced back at the coffee shop’s door then at his watch. “Oh! We better head inside before they close up shop.”

“Alright.”

Maybe it was fate.

Or maybe it was a practical joke played by the cosmos.

To think that they’d meet each other again in the same place.

Unclouded purple eyes stared right at him as soon as he entered the coffee shop.

“Excuse me, may I ask for a menu? It’s our first time here,” Fujisaki calmly walked to the counter, unaware of the tense aura around him.

“Here you go,” the raven-haired barista handed the shorter man the menu. “Please have a seat while you decide.”

“Kiibo-kun, look. They sure have a lot of options. I can see why Kiyotaka-kun loves it here,” Fujisaki waved the albino to come join him by the counter seats. “We should get something to eat too, while we’re here. What are you getting?”

“Oh um...an espresso macchiato and some butter cookies,” Kiibo couldn’t help but glance at the barista’s back.

“I’ll have a latte macchiato and a slice of some strawberry shortcake,” Fujisaki placed the menu on the stack of menus found on the corner.

“Got your orders, no need to repeat it,” the barista waved a dismissive hand before focusing on the task at hand.

“Are you alright, Kiibo-kun?” Fujisaki whispered.

The albino shook his head to snap himself out of his stupor, “I’m fine, really. I’m just a little surprised that it actually feels like a coffee shop right now. The atmosphere feels really different from the last time I came here.”

“Hmmm? I thought this was your first time here?” The barista hummed as he served the two men their respective desserts.

“Oh! It is for me,” Fujisaki cheerfully answered. “The first time Kiibo-kun came to this establishment, it was a bar. But it’s his first time coming here with the establishment functioning as a coffee shop.”

“Well, thank you for the patronage either way,” the barista, _ Ouma, _as his name tag indicates, flashed them a grin before going back to preparing their coffee. He lifted a piping hot milk pitcher and added the finishing touches before serving it to the two. “One espresso macchiato and one latte macchiato. Drink up while it’s hot.”

“This smells really good,” Kiibo said with awe, as he lifted his cup to his lips.

“It goes really well with the cake too!” Fujisaki gasped after his first bite. “The milk is all nice and fluffy like clouds.”

“It has to, I didn’t spend years learning how to brew coffee for it to taste bad,” Ouma huffed, leaning on the counter a little. “I made sure the coffee’s flavor matched the food you ordered too. Feel free to praise me as much as you want.”

For the first time since their accidental reunion a few weeks back, Kiibo found himself smiling as he sipped on his coffee. He carefully placed his cup on a saucer and relaxed in his seat. “So this is what you’ve been doing lately, Ouma-kun.”

“Mmhm! The office life just isn’t meant for me, Kiiboy. It fits you like a glove though!”

“Eh? Do you two know each other?” the young programmer looked at the two with surprise.

“We went to the same high school together,” was all Kiibo said before taking a bite of his butter cookies.

“Yup, yup! We were the best of friends. Closer than what most people might expect,” Ouma may be smiling as he said these words, but Kiibo could detect a certain...emotion behind it. He couldn’t think of a proper word to perfectly describe it though.

“What do you mean by that?” the brunet asked before sipping on his coffee, relishing in its creamy goodness.

“Kiiboy and I here used to bicker a lot back then,” Ouma chuckled. “I’d tease him until he started yelling at me, and then I’d just laugh it off. People thought we actually hated each other.”

“I didn’t think Kiibo-kun would be the type to yell,” Fujisaki laughed gently. “He’s always so calm and cool at work. Meanwhile I’m still a little all over the place when it comes to things outside of programming-related tasks. If people didn’t know any better, they’d think Kiibo-kun was _ my _senior.”

“You’re his senior?” The raven-haired barista leaned closer. “You look awfully young, maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell.”

“Haha, perhaps--” Fujisaki froze a little when he heard the familiar ringtone of his phone. “Excuse me for a moment, let me take this call.” He gave his companions a slight bow before leaving the counter.

“You’re excused~” Ouma waved the brunet away before turning his attention to the albino. “So it really was you, huh.”

Kiibo lifted a brow as he sipped on his macchiato, he carefully placed his cup back on its saucer before speaking. “What do you mean?”

“My co-worker told me it was a customer who took me home a couple of weeks back,” Ouma folded his arms on the counter and rested his chin on them. “She gave me an elaborate description of your face, but I didn’t believe it. So humor me. Was it you?”

Kiibo didn’t have any reason to deny the truth, so he simply nodded. “...Another senior of mine was celebrating his promotion in this bar. I happened to see you wasted at the counter and it didn’t look like you had anyone to drive you home.”

“I have a different address now though, so how’d you get me home?” the barista lazily tapped his nails on the counter.

“You tossed your wallet at me in a drunken stupor,” Kiibo sighed as he reached for another cookie. “I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, but at least be more careful the next time you decide to get wasted.”

“Sounds awfully a lot like you telling me how to live my life, Kiiboy,” Ouma straightened his posture and started clearing up the counter.

“I’m just giving you a word of advice. It’s up to you whether you take it or not,” the albino went back to finishing his coffee.

“Is that so?” Ouma glanced at the wall clock across him before returning to his task of wiping the counter clean. “By the way, Shirogane-chan told me that you paid for my drinks. It wasn’t exactly chump change, and yet you still paid for me. Are you stupid?”

“Put yourself in my shoes for a bit. Even if it was your expense, it felt wrong for me to just grab your own money out of your wallet,” Kiibo huffed as he pushed his empty plate and cup forward for the barista to take. “Especially since...well, we haven’t spoken to each other in years until now.”

“Hmmm…. Okay fine, point taken,” the barista paused in his wiping to grab the empty plate. “How about I make it up to you then?”

“What?”

“Look, I’m just as prideful as you are,” Ouma pointed his rag at the albino. “I can’t stand the idea that I owe anyone something. So let me repay you for paying my bill, yeah?”

Kiibo heaved out a heavy sigh, “Seriously, you haven’t--”

“Sorry! A client suddenly called me for something urgent, that’s why I have to head home,” Fujisaki bowed apologetically before hurriedly stuffing his face with what’s left of his cake and washed it all down with his latte macchiato. He left a couple of bills over the counter to pay for their order. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow Kiibo-kun! I’m so sorry for going on ahead even though I was the one who invited you out.”

“It’s alright, Chihiro-kun. I understand that it’s important. Have a safe trip home.” the albino waved the brunet off.

“Thanks! You too.” And just like that, Fujisaki was gone.

Soothing bossa nova music filled the silence between the monochrome pair.

“...I should be going as well. You’re preparing to set up the bar, right? I won’t get in your way--” Kiibo made a move to leave his seat, but stopped when the other man suddenly grabbed him by the wrist.

“...Stop by here next Saturday. I’ll be on my day off that day,” purple burned through aquamarine. “I’ll treat you to anything, just to make up for your expenses last time.”

“Ouma-kun, there’s really no need to pay me back,” Kiibo gently freed his hand from the barista’s grasp. “I only did it because--”

“Because?” Ouma stood with his arms akimbo, frustration or perhaps impatience was showing in his face.

_ Because I still care about you. _

“...Because I was worried,” Kiibo ignored his thoughts. “We live in dangerous times. If I left you alone, you could have gotten hurt. We...might not be together anymore, but we were still friends in high school. That’s enough reason for me to look out for you.”

“Look, I understand what you mean about danger and shit, but you really didn’t have to pay for my drinks. I own this place,” Ouma huffed. “And based on what you said just now, there shouldn’t be any reason for us _ not _to hang out as old high school chums either. Right?”

……

_ Oh. _

“The bartender...seemed troubled that you weren’t in the position to pay, that’s why I paid for you,” Kiibo rubbed his face with a hand, hoping that it would wipe away his embarrassment. “I didn’t know that you worked in, much less _ owned, _the establishment that time. In fact, I only found both of that out just a few moments ago, so don’t fault me for my ignorance too much.”

“She’s probably more troubled that I’ve spent most of my days off wasted on the counter during her shifts,” Ouma sighed as he went back to cleaning up the remaining plates on the counter. “Anyway, are you going to accept my invitation or not?”

The other customers of the coffee shop started leaving one by one, with the shop’s tinkling chimes being the only ones to bid them goodbye.

Kiibo dropped his hand to his side. _ ‘...Why am I being so reluctant? It’s just Ouma. He only wants to repay me for last time, nothing more. There’s nothing wrong with spending time with him as an old high school friend, right? Right.’ _

“Hello? Earth to Kiiboy? Ignoring me doesn’t count as a response,” Ouma spoke in a monotone manner as he went back to preparing to switch his establishment to bar mode.

“...My schedule isn’t set in stone, so I’m not going to make promises I can’t keep,” the albino paused to pull out his phone from his pocket and handed it to the barista. “But I’ll let you know if I’m busy the day before then. We could reschedule if that happens.”

Ouma narrowed his eyes at the device before taking it. “You should have saved me the trouble and gave this to me from the start.”

_ ‘I wouldn’t have been ‘troublesome’ if I had time to mentally prepare myself to face you after so long,’ _Kiibo inwardly griped as he watched his ex tap away at his phone.

“Here. Anyway, if you don’t have any plans to get wasted tonight, you better go before the bar regulars start flooding in,” Ouma handed the phone back to its owner.

“I was about to leave in the first place,” Kiibo’s eyes scanned his phone before tucking it back into his pocket. “I suppose I’ll be seeing you soon?”

“Yup yup. Remember, it’s my treat! Don’t waste this rare opportunity,” Ouma grinned as he waved the albino off. "Oh right! Thanks for the aspirin!"

His breath hitched when he saw the albino turn around to flash him a reserved smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind. And you’re welcome.”

Ouma found himself staring after the albino’s back--the soft tinkling of the door chimes followed after his exit. He went back to preparing all of the shot glasses and liquor, his bravado slowly melting away with every passing minute.

Why was Kiibo there?

After all these years, why are they crossing paths all of a sudden?

And what was _ that?! _

Why did he invite him out of all things?!

The true idiot was him all along!

Once he was finished with his preparations, he took to sulking on the counter with his head buried in his arms, occasionally thumping his head against its cool surface in an attempt to shake out any unnecessary thoughts.

“Ouma-kun? What’s the matter?” Shirogane’s voice prompted the despairing barista to lift his head. “Did you get another unholy encounter with an annoying customer today?”

“...Worse.” Ouma buried his head back in his arms. **“My ex dropped by.”**

“W-what?!”

“...And I invited him out for some coffee cause, you know, he paid for my bill last time.”

“What…? Why did you do that?” Shirogane placed her messenger bag on the counter before leaning on it.

“I don't know!” Ouma whined. “When I saw his face I just--”

“You just…?”

“I just--! I just impulsively started acting how I used to act when I’m around him and I wasn’t thinking and--” Ouma banged his head on the counter a few more times. “...God...I can’t believe I still like him. I’m such a loser. You can laugh at me. Get your daily dose of serotonin right here.” 

“I know; you’ve been whining over the same thing whenever you’re drunk,” Shirogane moved to give him a pat on the head before moving behind the counter to help with bar preparations. “Didn’t you say that you both talked it over and ended your relationship smoothly?”

“We did but--” Ouma flinched when his ringtone suddenly pierced through the fading notes of the coffee shop’s bossa nova. “It’s complicated, okay?”

“Mmhm, I can tell,” the bespectacled woman nodded along.

Ouma then reached for his phone to check the text message, only to shoot up from his seat as soon as he saw the sender.

“What is it this time?” Shirogane called over her shoulder.

“H-he sent me a text.” Ouma gulped.

With curiosity getting the better of her, and Ouma’s habit of not filling her in with details, she paused in her last minute checks to peek over the raven-haired man’s shoulder.

_ Sender: Unknown _

_ This is Iidabashi Kiibo. I sent you a message so you can save my email address. I just got to my car. It looks like it’s about to rain tonight, so if you’re still in your coffee shop, do bring an umbrella with you before you leave. _

“Well, isn’t he quite the polite fellow? He’s even texting in proper syntax,” Shirogane stepped away to give him some room in case he wanted to flail around like he usually would whenever his ex came into the topic.

“That’s how he always is…. This. This is why I can’t just move on and--ugh!” Ouma slammed his head against the counter one more time before letting out a defeated sigh. “...We still have umbrellas in the back, right?”

“Mmmhm! In the usual place.”

“I’m going ahead then. I can already see the soon-to-be-drunkards waiting outside. I’ll see you tomorrow, Shirogane-chan,” Ouma dragged himself off the counter and headed to the back to fetch his knapsack and one of the spare umbrellas they kept in the back in case they forgot to bring their own.

“See you tomorrow.”

The first thing he saw as soon as he left the confines of his coffee shop and bar, was the slowly graying clouds. The mild and earthy scent of petrichor that permeated in the air confirmed Kiibo’s earlier observation. It began drizzling as soon as he opened his umbrella. He nodded and shared a few greetings with the bar regulars waiting outside as well as their new bouncer, Gonta, before leaving the premises. He looked up at the sky and sighed.

_ ‘I wish you hated me as much as I hate myself, Kiibo.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soft teal eyes followed the weary coffee shop-slash-bar owner as he exited the establishment. She heaved out a sigh, brushing the invisible dust off of her slacks before she flipped the sign to open. She greeted Gonta with a nod before entering the bar once more. The customers slowly entered the bar after being checked by their bespectacled muscle guy.
> 
> Tonight was going to be a busy night as well, but despite that fact, her mind couldn’t help but roam back to her boss’s personal dilemma.
> 
> “Whiskey, on the rocks.” One customer would order.
> 
> “Tequila, give it to me straight.” Another one would pipe in shortly after.
> 
> And yet her mind still remembers the tears and pained expression her usually upbeat employer would make whenever his ex was the topic of discussion.
> 
> “Miss, can you give me a blow job?”
> 
> She flashed the customer a blank stare, which sent chills down the man’s spine. “Come again?”
> 
> “A blow job, miss. The shot I mean. The blow job shot.” The man raised his hands defensively.
> 
> “Oh I see,” she flashed the customer a serene smile. “It will be done in a moment, please wait here while I fetch the whipped cream.”
> 
> “U-uhh, yeah sure.”
> 
> She let worry show in her expression as soon as she turned her back on her customers.
> 
> “Ouma-kun...if you loved him this much...then why did you break up with him in the past…?” she whispered the question to no one but herself.


	3. Early Morning Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _About you. About me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to release this as a mini-chapter. I thought it would more appropriate to dedicate this chapter to their past. It's 2:14 am right now and I don't have anything else to say. As always, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the previous one.

_ I wanted to tell you the truth before it was time for me to leave. No doubt you would have hated me if I kept it hidden from you until it was time for my departure. That’s why I wanted to speak to you in private, away from prying eyes and ears. _

_ “You’re leaving for England...?” _

_ I knew that you wouldn’t like the idea of me leaving the country-- _

_ “Yes. It seems that my father is needed there for his expertise, and it requires him to be physically present. That’s why we’re going to move out next month, right after graduation.” _

_ “Next month!?” _

_ But nothing could have prepared me for that look of betrayal on your face that day. _

_ “So I guess this is where it all ends, huh.” _

_ Your face didn’t show it. But I’ve been with you long enough to be able to read your emotions. Your voice was cold--colder than the time when I accidentally spilled your soda on your precious comic book collection. _

_ “...What do you mean, Kokichi-kun?” _

_ “What I meeeeean is--” you turned around and folded your arms behind your head. A show of nonchalance, but I knew that that was just a front. You were angry; upset; _ _ betrayed. _ _ “Our relationship was fun while it lasted, but this is where we’ll end it. Long distance relationships are too troublesome, you know?” _

_ “Kokichi-kun--” _

_ Is that what you really wanted? _

_ “Good luck in England, Kiiboy. Make sure to invest in umbrellas, I heard it rains a lot over there.” _

_ You walked away after saying those words--words dripping with poison-laced honey called lies. _

_ I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to call out to you, to reach for you, to hug you and apologize. I didn’t want to let you go. I didn’t want to stop being yours, and you being mine. But I knew better than anyone else that if I had so much as touched you back then, you would have shattered right in front of me. You didn’t want to show me something unsightly, that’s why you walked away. _

_ I gritted my teeth, preparing myself to speak in a calm and even manner despite the prickling sensation in my eyes. _

_ “This is goodbye then, Kokichi-kun.” _

_ Your eyes were red during graduation. But with everyone else crying, knowing that I was going to leave hours later, you blended quite well in the crowd. I avoided your gaze, because I knew that it would only hurt you. I...wanted to see you one last time before I left. I really did. It took me all of my strength to resist the urge to chase after you. _

_ ...Part of me still wished that I had acted more selfishly that day. _

_ Because later I realized that even now I still... _

\-------------------------------------------------------------

** _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ **

Kiibo blinked out the tears in his eyes, forcing himself up to hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. He had forgotten to set his alarm at a later time last night. He sank back into his comforter with a grunt.

“...It’s been a while since I’ve had that dream.”

He had spent his first few weeks in England despondent and alone. No one from his class dared approach him due to his negative and antisocial behavior. Day in and day out, he was tormented by the memories of his last conversation with his boyf--his _ ex-_boyfriend. What kept his father from worrying too much was his maintained grades and his surprisingly regular eating habits. Overtime, he had managed to push himself to accept what had happened and started mingling with his classmates more. Soon after he graduated, he decided to return to Japan to start his career there. He found a job at a tech company and he slowly built his reputation from the bottom up. And the rest was history.

Kiibo blinked his sleepiness away before rolling over to his side to pat the bed for his phone--which was most likely buried in his mess of pillows. After a few minutes of lazily searching for his phone, he finally found it. The first thing that caught his eye upon unlocking his phone was the date and time. He woke up at 4 in the morning on a _ Saturday _ of all things.

The dreaded and yet _ anticipated _ Saturday.

He dropped his phone to his side and buried his face in his hands.

“Why did I take a day off today!?”

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Why did I tell him I had a day off today!?” Ouma thrashed around his bed vigorously. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”

While usually going about his day at work, time had decided to pass him by at hyper-speed, and before he knew it, it was already Saturday. It was already 4 in the morning, but he was still too anxious to fall asleep. Moving around in bed in a frenzy only served to wake his senses instead of lull him to sleep.

_“SHIT!” _

He had fallen off his bed from all his rolling around.

“...So much for sleep,” he groaned as he struggled to climb back in bed. _ ‘It’s a good thing that I decided to invest in a house as soon as I had the money. I would have gotten kicked out of my room if I lived in an apartment.” _

Ever since that accidental meeting (where he was thankfully sober), Kiibo had not sent him any other messages apart from the first and only one he had received that day.

...Well…

He never did reply to the message, not even a lazy “Yeah, yeah,” nor a snide “You’re not my mom!”

No wonder the conversation wouldn’t go anywhere! It takes two to make a conversation and he pretty much just blew his chance to smooth out the awkwardness in their conversations right out of the water.

Ouma grabbed his phone from the bedside drawer to check for any messages. “Who am I kidding? There’s no way he’d send me a message at the ass crack of dawn.”

Instead of haphazardly tossing it to the opposite side of his bed, however, he decided to read the only message he received from his ex. Just how many times has he read it? He didn’t have to pick up his phone and read it anyway, he already had the entire message memorized in his head after all. He’s such a hopeless case; it’s nothing short of a miracle that Shirogane didn’t quit her job despite his repetitive drunken spiels about his lost love.

“He told me he’d let me know if he’s busy the day before Saturday,” he mumbled to himself. “...But it’s already Saturday and I didn’t receive any message from him yesterday. He didn’t text me that he could come either.”

A thread of his patience snapped.

“What is this--Schrödinger’s RSVP?!” he flailed around his bed, letting his phone drop among his pillows. “Is he going or not?! At least have the decency to tell me that you could make it so I wouldn’t have to worry about shit like this so early in the morning!”

After releasing his frustration, he lifelessly flopped against his bed. His sleep deprivation finally caught up to him as he exhausted what was left of his energy reserves. “...In the end it’s still my fault. I should have responded to his mail as soon as I got it. Ahhh pathetic. So pathetic...”

His eyes felt heavier and heavier with each passing second. The last thing he saw was _ his _face. The face of a young Kiibo back in their high school years. The shock, hurt, and reluctance that flashed on the albino’s face as he said goodbye was burned into his mind.

_ Ahh... I never meant it. I never meant what I said at all. I’m really sorry, Kiibo… _

_ I’m sorry for being such a liar. _

_ I’m sorry… _

_ I’m sorry… _

_ I’m so...rry… _

With tears in his eyes, Ouma had fallen asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've reached this far, thank you for taking the time to read my work!
> 
> The work is aimed to end on the second chapter. But I don't trust myself and may end up going overboard. Let's hope that won't be the case!


End file.
